He Kissed Me And I Knew
by ScarySlytherin
Summary: The summer after Harry's fourth year, when he gets to know Charlie.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, all belongs to JK Rowling.

Charlie first met Harry in the summer before Harry's second year. Charlie had a tall, muscular frame, whereas Harry, although muscular from Quidditch, was much shorter and more delicate looking. Charlie thought that Harry might snap in half at the slightest touch from one of the rowdy Weasley boys.

They began writing to each other after the first task during the Triwizard Tournament, in Harry's fourth year. Charlie was in awe of the small boy who had managed to out fly a dragon. He had joined the party in Gryffindor Tower for a few hours, congratulating Harry on his performance, and making him promise to keep in touch about the second task.

Harry had written to him after finding out about the Yule Ball. He had confided in Charlie about his difficulties in asking a girl to the dance, how they were constantly giggling in the halls, and whether Charlie had any advice on how to get one on their own without a gang of girls hanging onto his every word.

Charlie had written back, telling Harry that he was gay, and sorry for not being more help with asking out girls, but advised that Harry speak to a girl he was friendly with for dance lessons.

Harry went to Angelina Bell and Alicia Spinnet, two Chasers from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and they taught him in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Harry was eternally grateful to Charlie for that. He hadn't realised how complicated dancing actually was, and was glad he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of the entire school at the ball.

They continued to write back and forth, discussing everything from the second task and Harry's schoolwork, to the dragon reserve where Charlie worked and the Quidditch league. In the lead up to the third task, Charlie was Harry's rock. He was the person Harry went to when he needed to vent his anger at the tournament, who provided Harry with lists of advanced spells to learn for the task and encouraged Harry when he felt he like giving up.

When Harry arrived back at Hogwarts, with Cedric, after the third task, and announced that Voldemort was finally dead, it was Charlie who grabbed him round the waist and lifted him up in the air for all the cheering crowds to see. It was Charlie who sat with Harry for the next few days in the hospital wing while Ron and Hermione had their last few classes of the year, and helped Harry pack up his trunk for returning to the Burrow, where he would be staying that summer. Charlie could hardly believe his luck that he would be staying in the same house as this beautiful boy he had grown to care for, for two whole months.

The leaving feast was a celebration of a Hogwarts victory in the Triwizard Tournament, followed by a party in Gryffindor house, as their champion had been in the hospital wing since the third task. The party lasted into the next morning, and many of the older students didn't bother with trying to sleep, as there was only an hour before the breakfast, after which the train would depart for Kings Cross station.

Harry sat on his bed, his trunk already packed, watching as the other boys from his dorm chucked belongings into their trunks. He was tired from the party, and his head was beginning to ache from the loud music that had played throughout the night. He smiled as he watched Seamus throw a pile of clothes into his trunk, only for Neville to remove them a minute later and place them in his. Ron was searching the room for his scattered chess pieces, and Dean was taking down his West Ham posters.

Finally, it was time for breakfast, and Harry was dragged down to the Great Hall by Ron, where he picked at some toast, but mostly sat sipping a cup of coffee, until it was time to leave for the train.

Fred and George joined Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in their compartment on the train, and started a loud game of exploding snap, causing Harry to growl at them and curl up in his seat to sleep. Ron just laughed affectionately at his best mate, knowing from experience that he was definitely not a morning person, and even less so when he had had no sleep the previous night.

The train arrived at Platform 9 and ¾ and the twins roused Harry enough for him to stagger off the train, colliding immediately with Bill, who had started towards the train to find out what was taking them so long.

"Watch it, Harry," Bill grinned, passing Harry onto Charlie, who grabbed Harry round the waist to keep him upright.

"Sorry, Bill," Harry yawned, peering at him through half closed eyes to see if any damage had been caused. He moved away from Charlie, and leant against the nearby wall as he watched the brothers greet their younger siblings.

There was lots of laughter and chatter, as the family joked with each other and teased Ginny and Ron, who seemed to provide the best reactions. Standing slightly to the side of the happy picture, Harry felt slightly lost, not wanting to intrude on the family moment.

As the family started to move off through the barrier, Harry trailed behind, letting Mrs Weasley fuss over Ron and Ginny, and the twins discuss their latest pranks with their older brothers. It was Charlie who noticed Harry and grabbed him by the hand, smiling softly at him as he pulled Harry through into the Muggle world and away to the car, where Arthur was waiting to take them home, to the Burrow.

Harry settled in the back of the car, next to Ron, and stared out the window as they set off, wondering whether Charlie had felt the jolt of electricity that had spiked through Harry when Charlie had grabbed his hand.

They burst out of the car at the Burrow, Harry and Ron feeling much more refreshed after a nap in the car. The trunks were hauled out of the boot of the car, and Mr Weasley cast charms on them so that the boys could carry them inside.

The redheads and Harry crowded into the kitchen for dinner, and Harry squeezed in between Ron and Fred at the table. The talk over dinner was light-hearted and lasted into the evening. Harry found Ron nodding off to sleep on his shoulder, and Harry himself was having a hard time keeping his head upright.

"Time for bed, I think," said Mrs Weasley. Ron groaned and Harry tried to shake himself awake enough to carry himself up to the top floor where Ron's room was. Before they could get to their feet, Mrs Weasley stopped them. "The ghoul has been causing a few problems, dears, so you'll need to sleep in a different room, just until it's sorted. You don't mind do you?"

Harry shook his head, but Ron demanded to know what damage had been done.

"Just to the ceiling, Ron, all your stuff is fine," Arthur told him.

"Not that you'd notice any damage in that pig sty, eh, Ronniekins?" Bill grinned at him. Ron made to swipe at his brother, but Bill dodged and Ron didn't have the effort to try and get him.

"You'll be sharing with Percy, Ron," Mrs Weasley informed him, and Ron complained under his breath, but moved quickly out the room before Mrs Weasley could catch what he'd said.

"Harry, dear, I hope you don't mind, you'll be sharing with Bill and Charlie?" Mrs Weasley told him anxiously.

"Sounds great, Mrs Weasley," said Harry, trying to stifle a yawn and failing miserably. Charlie and Bill smirked at him, before bowing low and gesturing to the door.

"Your chambers await you," Charlie told him with a laugh, and Harry followed him out the door and up two sets of stairs to their room.

Two beds were set up, with a gap between the two, and a desk and wardrobe stood to one side of the room. Bill quickly grabbed something and transfigured it into a bed for Harry, so that the three beds lay side by side. He indicated to Harry that the middle one was his bed, and headed off to the bathroom, followed by Charlie. By the time they returned, Harry was asleep, fully dressed, on top of his bedcovers. The brothers smiled at the sight of him, and climbed into their beds, to settle down to sleep.

When Harry awoke the next morning, he was in a strange room, and could hear heavy breathing to either side of him. He sat bolt upright in bed, reaching for his wand, forgetting for that moment that he couldn't do magic outside of school. His sudden movement had jerked Bill and Charlie awake, and they glared at him.

"Harry," Charlie began. "As much as we are honoured to have you as a guest in our room, it is seven o'clock in the morning, and the first day of the holidays, and we'd really appreciate a lay in."

Harry sat there for a few minutes, letting what Charlie had said sink in, before shrugging and laying back down, easily falling back to sleep.

Twenty minutes later, Bill and Charlie decided to make their way downstairs for breakfast. Their attempts to fall back asleep had been unsuccessful.

"How does he do that?" Bill muttered, as he passed Harry's bed to reach the door. Charlie just shook his head and followed Bill downstairs.

An hour later, Harry awoke for the second time, and on seeing the empty beds either side of him, decided to go downstairs. Already in the kitchen were Ron and Percy, sitting at opposite ends of the table eating breakfast, and Bill and Charlie who were discussing something in the Daily Prophet over cups of tea. They looked up as Harry walked in.

"Prince Charming has finally awoken," Bill observed. "A full hour after he ruined our efforts to enjoy this lovely sunny morning from our beds."

Harry had sat himself at the table, and seemed to be completely unaware of Percy and Charlie sniggering at Bill's comments. Ron stepped in on his friend's behalf.

"You can't talk to him before he's had his cup of coffee," Ron told his brothers, passing a mug to Harry. "It's like his brain can't understand anything without the caffeine running round it."

"Hey, Harry!" Charlie said. "Harry? Harry! Haaaarrrrryyyyy?! Harry!"

"Wha'", Harry mumbled, squinting up to the left of Charlie's head.

"Over here, mate," said Charlie, and Harry turned his head slightly. "Can you actually see anything without your glasses?"

Harry shook his head, and drank some more coffee. Ron spoke up again for him.

"He finds his way round by keeping his hand on the wall."

"Surely that's not an incredibly safe method of moving around the house," stated Percy, loftily.

Ron scowled at him. "Well it works, and he hasn't fallen downstairs yet, has he?"

"Who hasn't?" asked Harry, who'd finished his coffee and was now nibbling the edge of some toast.

"No-one mate, you sleep alright last night?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, good thanks," Harry replied. "What are we doing today?"

"I thought we could go out and play some Quidditch" Ron told him. The rest agreed with him, and after finishing breakfast, they went up to their rooms to get changed.

Ron and Harry made their way into the back yard, where Bill and Charlie were waiting for them, and were joined a few minutes later by Fred, George and Ginny. Percy was, apparently, very busy with homework, what with it being his NEWT years at school.

They split off into teams, Bill, Harry and George against Ron, Charlie, Fred and Ginny. As they were near to a Muggle town, they couldn't use proper Quidditch balls, in case they got away, so the Weasley boys had a Muggle football that they used as a substitute Quaffle, the winner being the team with the most points when Mrs Weasley called them in for lunch.

The game was fun, and although Harry enjoyed the competitiveness of the games at Hogwarts, he liked that no-one here took it too seriously. The game was full of daring dives, the boys trying to out race each other, and knocking each other off course. They were evenly matched. Harry and Charlie had both been Seekers for Gryffindor, and Fred and George both Beaters, and though Ron, Ginny and Bill hadn't played for the house team, they were still very good at flying.

Two hours later, the game was called to an end. Everyone was exhausted from the flying, and the sun was sweltering, as it was nearing midday. They boys were hot and sweaty, and they trudged wearily back up to the house.

Bill and Charlie had removed their shirts to stop them sticking to their bodies, and as Harry caught sight of their well-muscled chests, he felt his mouth go dry at the sight of them. His felt his face heat up and quickly looked at the ground before anyone could notice, and carried on walking. Charlie grinned and nudged Bill, signalling with his head towards Harry. Bill bit back a laugh and nodded to Charlie.

The two quickly positioned themselves either side of Harry, so that he was stuck between them.

"Hey, looks like you've got a bit of sunburn there, Harry," Charlie told him.

Harry shrugged. "They're my cousin's old clothes and he's a lot bigger than me. They fall loose around my neck, so the sun catches all my neck and back."

"I've got some stuff upstairs that'll help," said Bill. "I need stronger stuff for working in the Egyptian sun; it'll help your burns pretty quickly."

"I'm fine, really," Harry replied, not wanting to cause a fuss.

"It's not a problem, Harry," Bill said gently, pushing him upstairs, and nodding to Charlie to follow the smaller boy.

Once in their room, Charlie pushed the door shut, and tugged Harry's shirt off, being careful not to irritate his sunburn. Harry blushed, and looked at his feet, not wanting to see the look on the older boy's when he saw his scrawny frame.

Charlie whistled. "That's an impressive set of scars you have there."

Harry blushed again and picked at his nails. "Trouble just seems to, sort of, follow me," he muttered. Charlie laughed and suddenly swung Harry up in the air, before dumping him face down on his bed.

"Hey!" Harry yelped, trying to sit up. Charlie pushed him back down very easily and grinned at Harry's indignant face.

"How am I going to help your back if you're lying on it, idiot?" Charlie smirked at Harry who'd gone red again and muttered something about doing it himself. "Whatever Harry. You might be the champion of the Triwizard tournament, but even you will struggle to put sun lotion on that part of your back. Your arms just don't bend that way."

Harry coughed something that Charlie couldn't make out, but he stopped struggling. He felt Charlie's weight settle across his legs, and then squeaked at how cold the lotion was as Charlie began to rub it into his skin.

"Very masculine noise there, Harry," Charlie teased, as he massaged the stuff into Harry's back and neck. Harry just grunted at him, and the room fell silent, as Harry relaxed under Charlie's hands.

When Charlie had finished, he moved off Harry, and told him not to move until the lotion had dried. Harry was grateful for that, as he was now sporting a rather significant problem that could have been very embarrassing, had he chosen to turn over.

Charlie moved over to his desk, where he began to write on a piece of parchment.

"Charlie..?" Harry called his name, softly.

"Yeah?" There was a pause as Harry gathered the courage to speak his next words.

"When did you… you know… find out… that you, were, erm… well that you… you liked boys?" Harry managed to spit out his question eventually.

Charlie smiled to himself. He'd seen this coming, ever since Harry had written to him about the Yule Ball.

"Well, it didn't really just hit me, Harry. I'd known it for a while, and then I kissed another guy and I enjoyed it, and that seemed to be quite a big indicator that I might be gay," Charlie told him, his eyes amused, but his face still serious.

Harry just nodded, and Charlie turned back to the letter he was writing.

"See…" Harry began nervously. "Ithinkimightlikeboysbutimnot sureandihavenoonetokiss."

"Slow down a bit Harry," Charlie smiled at him. Harry repeated his words a bit slower. His face felt like it was on fire, and he pressed his face into the bed he was still lying on to hide from Charlie's view.

Harry felt the mattress dip slightly, as Charlie moved onto the bed beside him. Charlie's hand ghosted across his back, making Harry shiver.

"I think you can sit up now Harry, the lotions dried now," Charlie told Harry, but Harry shook his head and continued to hide his face in the bed. Charlie sighed, and picked Harry up. The boy was small, and fit perfectly into his lap. Charlie leaned back against the headboard, Harry pulled to his chest. "I care about you Harry, I have since I first met you a few years ago, and even more so since you started writing to me this year." Harry nodded, as he waited for the 'but' to come. "But I'm seven years older than you, Harry, and…"

"And what if I don't care about that?" Harry demanded. Summoning his Gryffindor courage, he sat upright, and twisted his body round so he was facing Charlie, looking him straight in the eye. "I trust you, and I care about you, and I don't care what anyone else thinks!"

He looked at Charlie defiantly, daring him to say something. Charlie sighed.

"What are you doing to me Potter?" he asked, and then he pressed his lips to the smaller boy's, knowing that if his mother could see what he was doing, she'd have his balls off for daring to go near her practically adopted son. Harry sat back after a minute.

"Charlie," he said seriously, looking Charlie straight in the eye. "I think I might be gay." Charlie just laughed, and pulled Harry's head back to claim his lips once again.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, all belongs to JK Rowling.

_Charlie just laughed, and pulled Harry's head back to claim his lips once again._

A small cough caused Harry and Charlie to jump apart from each other, though Harry was still positioned in Charlie's lap. Bill was looking down at the two of them with an amused smile on his face.

"Am I interrupting?" Bill asked them, the smile on his face assuring them he was joking. Harry blushed and made to move from Charlie's lap, but Charlie tightened his arms around Harry and pulled the smaller boy back against his chest.

"Yes, but now you've got our attention, I suppose you may as well continue," Charlie declared.

"Mum wants to know what's taking so long, she's worried about Harry. She said if the sunburn's that bad, she can call a Healer for him," Bill told them.

"What? No! I'm fine, I don't need a Healer! Excuse me," Harry told the brothers, pulling himself from Charlie's hold and rushing from the room.

The two boys watched Harry's exit with a smile, before Bill turned to Charlie.

"I'm going to guess from the little display there that you two talked?" Bill asked. Charlie shrugged, but a small smile pulled at his lips. "You deserve to be happy, Char, but be careful. Harry's a lot smaller, he'll bruise more easily."

"I've fallen for him Bill, I won't mess this up. But for now it's between you, me and Harry," Charlie said quietly. Bill just nodded, and headed back downstairs.

Downstairs, Harry had been drawn into a game of chess with Ron. His face was screwed up in concentration, as he tried to remember how to play properly. He just couldn't seem to get the hang of chess, and the pieces made it even trickier, constantly shouting advice at him.

"Knight to D8," Harry told his piece.

"No, Harry," Ron told him, frustrated with his best friend's lack of chess skills. "Knights can't move that way, but bishops can."

"Which one was the bishop again?" asked Harry. Ron groaned and buried his head in his hands, as Bill came over to them.

"Castle to F4," he said to the board, and Harry's piece moved.

"Thanks," Harry told Bill gratefully, only to look up and notice that his castle was now in the perfect place for Ron to take it. "Hey! That was mean!"

Bill grinned. "Waking me up at seven am is mean," he told Harry, as he sauntered out the room.

Harry turned back to the chess board, completely resigned to losing now; the castle was the only piece he knew how to move.

Mrs Weasley had made a stew for dinner that evening, which her boys were currently shovelling down their throats. Really, it wouldn't kill them to chew it every once in a while, she thought to herself. She noticed that Harry had stopped after eating just over half of his portion, while her boys were on their seconds. Maybe she could get Bill or Charlie to talk to him; they seemed to be getting on rather well, now that they were sharing a room.

Harry was completely full up; he knew that he had no hope of forcing down even one more mouthful. Mrs Weasley didn't seem to understand that he was a lot smaller than all of her boys, and he just couldn't eat as much. He felt bad for leaving food on his plate, but the portion she'd given him was just huge.

He hadn't said much through dinner, he'd just listened into the conversations around him. He had heard the twins speaking in hushed tones about inventions for a joke shop, and decided to speak with them later. He could use their help on getting revenge on Bill for the chess game.

Looking up, he saw he was opposite Percy, who immediately proceeded to drag him into a conversation about his new job at the ministry. Harry groaned inwardly. It would be a long night.

Charlie had been speaking to Ron, but he had glanced up to take a drink and had seen Harry listening to Percy. He smiled to himself at the look of polite indifference on Harry's face. When Harry noticed Charlie looking up, he quickly turned his big green eyes on Charlie, begging for an escape. Charlie took pity on him and spoke up, announcing that he had had enough of the hard kitchen benches, and thought they should retire to the sofas in the living room.

As the family got up to move to the more comfortable chairs, Bill pulled Charlie back. He had seen the exchange between his brother and Harry.

"That boy's got you on a tight leash brother," he winked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Charlie replied, but as he looked up he saw Harry exiting the room, a smirk on his face. Charlie sighed. "I just got played, didn't I?" Bill laughed and patted him on the back, before following Harry through the door.

In the living room, Harry had settled himself between Fred and George and was talking with them.

"I need your help," he told the twins quietly.

"What can we do for you, little brother?" they asked him.

"Revenge, on Bill," said Harry.

"Why, Harry…" said Fred.

"We didn't think…" continued George.

"That our little brother…"

"Had an evil side…"

"To his sweet, calm nature!" they finished together.

"You guys need to stop doing that," Harry grumbled. "It's like watching a tennis match."

The twins cracked identical twins. "Well, as it happens, young Harry, we have been looking to start a joke shop, once our school days are over, and we could use someone to test our pranks on," they told Harry. "We'd need your help though, and we cannot accept full responsibility if mum catches us."

"Done," said Harry. "So what sort of things have you made?"

The three of them put their heads together as Fred and George began to discuss their inventions with Harry. Harry just listened and nodded at the right points, occasionally adding his input to something the twins had suggested.

Over the next week, the weather warmed up considerably. It didn't even cool down at night, and Harry was having trouble sleeping. He could hear Charlie and Bill's deep breathing and wondered how they fell asleep so easily. Harry tossed and turned in his bed, trying to make himself more comfortable, but it wasn't working. It was around two o'clock in the morning before he fell into a fitful sleep.

An hour later, Harry awoke, sweating and breathing hard from the nightmare he'd just had. He had just relived Voldemort's final moments in his dreams, and while Harry had had no choice in killing Voldemort, it didn't mean he was happy about becoming a murderer.

Harry had made it nearly two weeks with a decent night's sleep, but apparently the third task had had some lasting psychological effects on him. Harry tried to calm his breathing, but it wasn't working, and he could still feel his hands shaking.

Looking to his left, he saw Charlie lying on his side, still fast asleep. Knowing that being around Charlie calmed him, Harry crept into Charlie's arms, and smiled when they automatically tightened around him. Pretty soon, Harry was as deeply asleep as Charlie was.

The next morning, Charlie woke up to find his arms full of a small, dark-haired boy. He looked down bemusedly at Harry, wondering when the boy had ended up there. Harry looked tired though, so Charlie stayed still, letting him rest.

He looked up and caught Bill watching the two of them.

"Please tell me you behaved yourselves while I was sleeping," said Bill, in an amused tone.

"Hey!" said Charlie, indignantly. "He was just here when I woke up!"

Their voices had apparently been too loud, because Harry began to stir, stretching while still encased in Charlie's arms. When Harry felt them though, he froze, his brain trying to figure out where he was, and he flushed, before slowly opening his eyes. Charlie thought that Harry looked very cute, all red and flustered.

"I… uh… I didn't… I'm sorry, I'll just go," said Harry quickly, before pulling away from Charlie's embrace and feeling his way to the door. The brothers heard him go into the bathroom, and waited silently for him to come back.

When Harry came back into the room, he obviously wasn't expecting them to still be there, waiting for him. He looked down at his feet, wondering how much Charlie would hate him for massively over-stepping this unspoken boundary they had set.

"Harry?" Charlie spoke up. Harry looked up at him, fear in his eyes. "Come here, love," Charlie continued, stretching out a hand to Harry. When Harry didn't move, Charlie got out of bed and picked him up. He ignored Harry's mewl of protest and sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, with Harry sitting, once again, in his lap.

Harry immediately hid his face in Charlie's chest, not wanting to see the hate in the other boy's face.

"Harry?" Charlie tried again. "You need to tell me what's wrong."

Harry shook his head and fought back tears. Charlie was going to tell him that it wasn't working; that he'd changed his mind and Harry wasn't right for him. Harry had known it all along, or course, but it would still hurt to hear it.

Bill tried this time. "Harry, we can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong," he said, gently. Moving over to the bed with the other two boys on, Bill brushed Harry's hair to the side, and lifted Harry's face carefully away from Charlie's chest. He saw the fear in the big, green eyes. "What are you scared of, Harry?"

"I'm sorry," said Harry, wiping his eyes quickly. "I understand if you don't want me in your room, I can go somewhere else."

"What are you on about, love?" asked Charlie, turning Harry's face so he could see him properly.

Harry blinked, and diverted his eyes from Charlie's face. "You're mad at me for getting into your bed and sleeping with you."

"Am I?" said Charlie. "Bill, did I say I was mad at Harry?" Bill shook his head. "I didn't think I did. So, why do you think I'd be mad at you?"

"I know I'm acting like a baby," Harry mumbled. "Aunt Petunia always said that no-one cares about my silly problems and I shouldn't waste people's time."

"What made you get into Charlie's bed last night, Harry?" asked Bill.

"I had a nightmare," said Harry, quietly.

"Harry, I don't want you to be scared of me! And what your aunt said is complete rubbish! You are never a waste of my time, I promise. If you had a nightmare, you should have woken me up; I'm not really much help while I'm asleep!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Really?" asked Harry, looking up at Charlie.

"Yes, you silly boy!" Charlie told him. Harry eyes scanned his face, looking for any indication that he might be lying, and finally seemed to decide that Charlie must be telling the truth. A smile came onto his face, and he pulled Charlie's head down to kiss him. Bill slipped out the room, without either of them noticing.

A few minutes later, the two broke apart for air, breathing heavily.

"Harry…" Charlie whispered, as he was pulled back into another kiss. "You need to stop now, love, or I'm not going to be able to control myself." Harry looked like he was having an internal debate about whether to continue. "No, Harry, we've been over this. You're too young; I refuse to take this any further until you are of age."

Harry shrugged, glad the decision wasn't in his hands, and simply leant against Charlie, glad for the comfort he provided.

After waking up with Harry in his arms the following two mornings, Charlie had taken to pulling Harry into his arms before they went to sleep.

Two weeks after the chess incident with Bill, the twins pulled Harry to one side.

"This, brother…" began Fred, pressing a small round tablet into Harry's hand.

"Is your revenge," finished George. Harry examined the tablet.

"What does it do?" he asked them. They grinned.

"That would be telling, young one," said Fred.

"Just let it dissolve in his drink, and watch," said George with a wink, before they disappeared downstairs for breakfast.

Hearing Bill coming downstairs, Harry followed them into the kitchen. He dropped the tablet into the drink at Bill's place setting, and sat down in his seat. Charlie raised his eyebrows questioningly at Harry, who just shook his head and took a bite of toast.

Bill walked in, and dropped into his seat. He ate a slice of toast, unaware of the curious eyes watching him. Instead of taking a drink though, he began to eat a bowl of cereal. The others were disappointed, and turned back to their own breakfasts.

A few moments later, there was a sudden bang and a cloud of smoke went off around Bill's head. Bill waved the smoke away, and emerged with neon pink flashing hair. The Weasleys burst into laughter as Bill rushed for a mirror to see what had happened.

"Was that for the chess game?" Ron asked Harry.

Harry nodded, laughing, and then quickly shook his head. "No, I had nothing to do with it!"

"You're going to need to lie better than that to get past mum," Ron told him.

Two hours later, Fred, George and Harry trooped back into the house, after having finished de-gnoming the garden.

"How long until this wears off?" asked a frustrated Mrs Weasley. "I've tried every charm I can think of, but none of them work!"

"We can't say exactly," said Fred.

"We think it lasts around 24 hours…" said George.

"But we could be wrong," finished Fred.

Mrs Weasley just sighed before turning back to Bill. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to let it wear off, dear," she told him. "But while you're here, why don't I give your hair a quick cut? It's getting awfully long!"

"No, mum!" said Bill, jumping out of the chair. "I've got to… um… send an owl," he improvised, rushing out the room.

Harry and the twins laughed at the older boy running from his mother. Mrs Weasley turned on them.

"You find this funny?" she screeched. "Get upstairs and clean up, before I find enough chores to fill up the whole day." Fred, George and Harry almost fell over each other rushing for the stairs.

Harry went up to the room he was sharing with Bill and Charlie. He walked in, and noticed Bill sitting on the bed. He tried to bite back a laugh, but failed miserably.

"Think this is funny?" growled Bill. He got up off the bed.

"Umm… No! I didn't… I… You made me lose my chess game!" squeaked Harry, eyes darting around the room. Bill swooped forwards and grabbed Harry round the waist. He put the boy down on the bed and began to tickle him mercilessly. "No! Bill… I'm… sorry! Please… Bill!" Harry gasped out, trying to catch his breath from laughter.

Bill paused briefly. "You're sorry?" Harry didn't reply for a moment, and Bill began tickling him again, a grin on his face.

"Yes! I am! Please, Bill!" Harry was almost crying from laughter now. "I'm sorry!"

"Ah, well if you're sorry then," said Bill, and he sat back, letting Harry catch his breath. The two grinned at each other, before realising they had an audience.

"You two alright there?" asked Ron.

"Feeling left out Ronnie?" asked Bill. "Here, I can sort that," and Bill grabbed Ron in the same way he had Harry, and tickled him until Ron was crying out for mercy.

"Bill! Stop!" gasped Ron. Bill sat back with a laugh.

"Anyone else?" he asked Fred, George and Charlie, who all subsequently ran from the room.

"Wonder what their problem is," Bill said to Ron and Harry as he followed the others downstairs.

A couple of evenings later, Harry and Charlie were sitting in the garden after dinner. It was a clear night, and the sun was just setting in the distance.

"What do you want for you birthday, Harry?" asked Charlie.

"My birthday?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry, you know, when you celebrate the day you were born? Have a party, people get you gifts?" teased Charlie.

"Shut up," said Harry, going red.

"So, what do you want?" Charlie prompted.

"I don't want anything," Harry told him. "I have everything I could possibly need already."

"Well, I want to get you something, something nice to remind you of me when you're back at Hogwarts and I'm all alone on my dragon reserve," replied Charlie.

Harry smiled. "Well then, surprise me, and it'll be even better," he said, cheekily.

"You've been spending too much time with Bill," Charlie complained. "You used to be a nice, polite person, and now I'm stuck with a smaller version of my most annoying brother."

Harry stuck out his tongue at Charlie, and then grinned. "But I bet you wouldn't want your brother doing this," he said, and leant in to kiss Charlie.

When they pulled apart, Charlie shook his head. "You're definitely right. I would not want any of my brothers doing that to me."

Harry jumped into Charlie's lap. "So, do I get a birthday cake?" he asked Charlie.

"Of course!" said Charlie. "And ice-cream, sweets, chocolate, whatever you want! It's your day."

"This is going to be my best birthday ever! Even better than the one when Hagrid gave Dudley a pig's tail!"

"Hagrid gave your cousin a pig's tail?" asked Charlie, an amused expression on his face.

"Yeah, after he broke the door," said Harry.

"You're going to need to give me a better explanation than that," Charlie told him, and sat back to let Harry tell his story.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, all belongs to JK Rowling.

_"This is going to be my best birthday ever! Even better than the one when Hagrid gave Dudley a pig's tail!"_

_"Hagrid gave your cousin a pig's tail?" asked Charlie, an amused expression on his face._

_"Yeah, after he broke the door," said Harry._

_"You're going to need to give me a better explanation than that," Charlie told him, and sat back to let Harry tell his story._

Harry's birthday arrived very quickly. At half past eleven, Harry crept out of the room, making sure to keep quiet as Bill and Charlie were sleeping, and went down to the living room. He sat on the sofa, watching the clock.

Charlie awoke, the creak of the door pulling him out of sleep. He looked at the time. Who on earth was out of bed at half eleven in the evening? He looked to his side and saw the empty bed. Of course it would be Harry.

He grabbed his wand, and cast a quick lumos, so he could find his way downstairs. He slid silently into the room and saw Harry. He was sitting on the sofa, eyes transfixed on the clock.

"Hey, love, what are you doing?" he asked Harry. Harry jumped and turned around quickly. When he saw it was just Charlie, he relaxed back into the chair. Charlie sat down next to him and pulled Harry onto his lap, and the two of them just sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"Well?" prompted Charlie.

"It's this tradition I have," mumbled Harry. "My aunt and uncle never really made a big deal out of my birthday, but I always stay up to midnight to countdown to it."

"That's really nice Harry," said Charlie. "Do you mind if I stay up with you?" Harry shook his head, keeping his eyes on the clock. When it got to a minute before, he sat up straight, and he counted the last ten seconds under his breath, before turning to Charlie, with a big smile on his face.

"Happy birthday, love," said Charlie, and he leant down to kiss Harry gently. They sat for a few more moments, and then slowly got to their feet. Charlie picked Harry up in his arms, and started to carry him upstairs.

"I can walk, you know," Harry grumbled.

"You can barely walk in a straight line when you're awake, I'd hate to think how many things you'd walk into when you're half asleep," Charlie told him. Harry just sighed and leant his head against Charlie's chest as he settled them in bed.

"Happy birthday Harry," Charlie murmured again. He saw Harry's eyes drift shut, and thinking the boy was asleep, he spoke again. "I love you."

Harry woke up the next morning, feeling very snug in Charlie's arms. He thought over last night, remembering how Charlie had sat up with him and wished him happy birthday. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd forgotten something.

Harry stretched out, pushing out his arms and legs, and cracking his back, before sitting up.

"Morning, love," mumbled Charlie tiredly, still half asleep.

"I'll be back in a minute," said Harry, slipping out the room to the bathroom. When he returned, Charlie was sitting up, rubbing his eyes, but Bill was still asleep. Harry's eyes lit up.

"What are you planning, Harry?" asked Charlie apprehensively.

"I never did get Bill back for tickling me the other day," said Harry, with a grin.

Charlie slid out of bed. "Do what you want," he told Harry.

Harry climbed up on the bed. He stood next to where Bill was sleeping. Charlie realised what he was doing.

"Real mature, Harry," he chuckled. Harry stuck his tongue out at Charlie, and then began to jump up and down on the bed.

"HEY BILL! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, AND I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS A SINGLE SECOND OF IT!" Harry shouted.

Charlie couldn't keep himself from laughing at Bill, as he woke up and nearly fell out of bed from the shock. Bill grabbed Harry's legs to stop keep himself from falling off the bed, and Harry fell down on top of him.

"Think you're funny, Harry?" Bill asked, while Charlie sniggered. Harry pulled himself out of Bill's grasp, and left the room to go down for breakfast. The two boys could hear him laughing to himself the whole way down the stairs.

"Aww, come on Bill, you've got to admit, it's more effective than an alarm clock," Charlie smirked, and quickly darted out the room as Bill threw a pillow at him.

Harry walked into the kitchen, and was met by a table of redheads.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" chorused Fred, George and Ron, as Mrs Weasley pulled him into a tight hug.

"Thanks guys," Harry grinned as he took a seat at the table.

"I made your favourite, dear, pancakes with chocolate chips," Mrs Weasley said, setting a plate down in front of the new fifteen year old. Harry beamed at her, as he dug into his food.

Bill and Charlie appeared moments later, and Mrs Weasley told them off for being late, as they sat down, Charlie to Harry's right, and Bill opposite. They began to eat their food slowly, Charlie filling the rest of the table in with how Harry had woken Bill.

The chatter around the table was light and playful. Harry waited for Charlie to get caught up in a conversation with Ron, and then sneakily stole the pancake from his plate. It was gone by the time Charlie had turned back to his plate.

"Hey, where..?" Charlie said, looking confused. "Did I eat it all already?"

"Yes, silly," Harry told him. "You ate it while you were talking to Ron."

Bill smirked at Harry over the table. "Not so fast, little brother," he said. "I believe Harry might be lying to you, Charlie."

"What? Harry!" Charlie exclaimed, reaching to swat Harry round the head.

Harry, using his seeker's reflexes, dodged the hand, and jumped out of his seat, laughing. Ron jumped up as well, and the two high-fived.

"Hey, Ron! You were in on this too?" asked Charlie. "My own brother, ganging up against me? I'm hurt!"

Harry and Ron smirked at him, looking scarily like the twins, before bolting into the garden as Charlie got up from his seat, followed by Fred and George. The three of them chased Harry and Ron down the garden, until they had the smaller boys backed up against the edge of the small lake at the end of the Weasley's garden.

"No, please!" Harry and Ron begged. "It'll be so cold!"

"Should've thought of that before you stole my pancake!" Charlie grinned, taking a step closer.

"But, it's my birthday," Harry said, widening his big, green eyes, and turning them on Charlie. "You wouldn't do that to me on my birthday, would you?"

Charlie looked at him, half his mind telling him to take pity on the boy, half telling him to get him back. That half won. He darted forwards and threw Harry over his shoulder, Fred doing the same to Ron.

"Noooooo!" Harry and Ron squealed, squirming in their captor's arms.

"Very masculine noise there, boys," George observed.

The two looked up and scowled at him, just as Charlie and Fred threw them into the lake. Harry and Ron came to the surface, spluttering and coughing, their faces a perfect picture of shock. Charlie and the twins fell to the ground laughing at them. Harry and Ron swam to the side and climbed out, and began to make their way back to the house to get changed.

Later on, the boys all played a game of three on three Quidditch. Ron had badgered Mrs Weasley to let Harry open the present from him, and she had finally relented. It was a practise snitch, and Mrs Weasley had surrendered to the boys pleading, and allowed them to play with it, as long as it stayed out of sight of Muggles.

Harry's day had gotten even better when he beat Charlie to the snitch. Charlie's face was shocked as Harry held it up in the air, and Bill had howled with laughter at him, for being beaten by a fifteen year old.

Mrs Weasley had called them in to clean up before dinner soon after that.

When Harry came back downstairs, the house felt oddly silent. He had been the last one to use the shower, and was consequently the last one to go downstairs. He walked into the garden.

"SURPRISE!" came a loud shout. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin.

Out there were all the Weasleys, his godfathers, Sirius and Remus, Hermione and Neville, and even Hagrid, who was sitting on a magically reinforced chair.

"What?" Harry gasped. He shook his head. "Thank-you so much, Mrs Weasley," he said going over to hug her.

"Hey, pup!" Sirius exclaimed. "You're so tall since I last saw you!"

"I grew three inches this year," Harry told him proudly. He heard a snort from Ron. "Shut up Ron, not all of us are freakishly tall!" This prompted everyone else to laugh, as Ron was the same height as the other Weasley boys – Harry was just rather small.

"Happy birthday, cub," said Remus, pulling him into a hug.

"Thanks, Remus," Harry replied, smiling at him.

He moved over to greet Hermione, who was barely restraining herself from crushing him in a hug, and Neville, who looked a bit overwhelmed at the number of redheads. The three were talking, when Ginny interrupted.

"Come on, Harry, open your presents!" she called.

"My presents?" Harry asked, confused. "You already gave me the snitch!"

"That was from Ron, silly," Ginny giggled. "The rest of us got you stuff as well!"

Harry went to open his presents. He received a very questionable looking cake from Hagrid, which he put quickly to one side after thanking him. Hermione had bought him an educational book about OWL exams, which they would be starting upon the return to school. Harry hugged her, and promised he'd read it before he returned to Hogwarts. Neville had given him some chocolate frogs, and the twins some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, with a message inside that told Harry they had a box upstairs full of new products for him to test.

Bill's present was a welcome surprise.

"You need to hold still, Harry," he said, seriously.

"You're not going to hex me, are you?" Harry asked, nervously. "This morning was just a joke, I promise!"

"No, Harry, this is your present, but you need to sit still, while I cast a spell." Harry surrendered, and sat on a chair, his eyes focused on Bill's wand.

"_Oculos Instaurabo_" Bill muttered, twisting his wand in a complicated pattern. Harry gasped.

"I can't see! It's all blurry!" he panicked.

"Try taking your glasses off, Harry," Bill said gently.

Harry pulled them off his face, feeling a little foolish.

"I can see without them!" he exclaimed, grabbing the curse-breaker in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank-you so much Bill!"

"You're welcome, Harry," Bill gasped, extracting himself from Harry's grip and passing the boy to Charlie.

"This is my present, Harry," Charlie said, passing him a small box. Harry looked at it curiously, before ripping the paper off.

Inside the small box lay a silver chain, with a small dragon pendant on it. Charlie held out his hand for it, and he fastened it round Harry's neck. It wriggled around on his skin, before settling in the base of his throat. Harry understood it immediately. It was something to remind him of Charlie, when Harry was back at school, and Charlie all alone on his dragon reserve.

He hugged Charlie and whispered a thank-you in his ear. It was quiet and intimate, and Charlie knew that Harry understood his present, and squeezed the boy a little tighter before releasing him.

Mrs Weasley, Sirius and Remus were looking at them slightly strangely, but none of them commented.

"Oh, Arthur, you're home!" Mrs Weasley called out suddenly.

"Yes, I managed to get off work early, told them we had Harry here with us and it was his birthday, and Perkins was practically pushing me out the office," Arthur told them.

"We can have your birthday cake then, Harry! I won't be a minute," she said, hurrying into the kitchen.

A moment later, she returned, floating a large cake with the Gryffindor crest on it. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Harry, and they all took a slice of cake, and sat down to eat it.

The conversations lasted late into the evening, everyone laughing and having a good time. Harry and Ron were laughing at a joke with twins had just told, when Harry heard his name mentioned. He leant away slightly to listen to what was being said, while Fred and George told another joke.

"What exactly is going on with you and Harry, Charlie?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"What? What do you mean?" Charlie asked nervously.

"There's something off about the way you two act around each other," Remus told him.

"I don't know what you mean," Charlie said, running his hand through his hair.

"Come to think of it, you do seem much closer this summer, son," Arthur joined in.

"It's not... I… We've been sharing a room; of course I've got to know him better!" Charlie replied uneasily.

"Are you involved with my godson, Charlie?" Sirius asked shrewdly.

"What?! No!" Charlie almost shouted in his panic.

Harry heart sank. Of course he had known Charlie wouldn't want them to become public, but he didn't think Charlie would mind their family knowing. Harry fought to keep his emotions under control; he was very close to bursting into tears.

As people drifted back into the house, Harry hung back to talk to the adults.

"Mrs Weasley?" he asked quietly.

"What's the matter, dear?" she inquired.

"Do you mind if I go home with Sirius and Remus? I'd like to spend some time with them before I go back to school," Harry told her.

Sirius and Remus' heads shot up at that. They were definitely missing something.

"Of course not, dear. You go pack your trunk and the three of you can use the floo to get back to Sirius' manor," Mrs Weasley replied, pushing him towards the house.

Ten minutes later, Harry, Sirius and Remus shot out of the floo at Black manor, and Harry collapsed on the floor crying: the barriers he'd been using to keep back his tears earlier were now completely broken.

Back at the Burrow, Charlie hurried downstairs.

"Mum! Harry's disappeared! All of his things are gone!" he shouted out.

"Calm down dear! He's gone home to spend some time with his godfathers," Mrs Weasley told her son.

"What? But he didn't…" Charlie trailed off.

"Didn't what, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"Doesn't matter," Charlie muttered, heading back upstairs.

When he reached his bedroom again, Bill was in there.

"Why didn't he tell me he was going, Billy?" Charlie whispered. Bill hated to see his closest brother so upset, but he knew Charlie needed to hear the truth.

"He overheard you talking to the adults at dinner, Char," Bill replied, pulling Charlie into a hug, as his younger brother broke down crying.

"I'm an idiot, Bill! I wasn't even thinking when I answered their questions! I was panicking! I knew that Harry wanted his godfathers and maybe even our family to know! He probably thinks I'm ashamed of him now! What have I done?" Charlie sobbed into his brother shoulder.

Bill didn't know what to say to that, so he just held his brother closer and waited for him to calm down.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, all belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: Thank-you so much to all the people who reviewed!

_Ten minutes later, Harry, Sirius and Remus shot out of the floo at Black manor, and Harry collapsed on the floor crying: the barriers he'd been using to keep back his tears earlier were now completely broken._

_"I'm an idiot, Bill! I wasn't even thinking when I answered their questions! I was panicking! I knew that Harry wanted his godfathers and maybe even our family to know! He probably thinks I'm ashamed of him now! What have I done?" Charlie sobbed into his brother shoulder._

_Bill didn't know what to say to that, so he just held his brother closer and waited for him to calm down._

Harry awoke the following morning to a bright light.

"Morning, pup!" Sirius called, bounding into the room.

Harry sat up, blinking, and automatically reached for his glasses, before realising Bill had fixed his eyesight. "What time is it?" he groaned, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"Eight o'clock," Remus said, entering the room behind Sirius. "I'm sorry, cub, I tried to get him to stay downstairs, so you could have a lie-in, but he escaped when I went to make some coffee," Remus told Harry with an apologetic smile.

"Coffee?" Harry asked, seeming more alert. Remus laughed, and handed Harry his cup. Harry mumbled his thanks as he drank it down.

"Come downstairs when you're dressed, breakfast is ready," Remus said to Harry, as he ushered Sirius from the room.

"Aww, but Remy, he's only just got here, I want to talk to him!" Harry could hear Sirius complaining as Remus removed him from the room, and grinned.

He moved over to his trunk to find some clothes. Remus had transfigured the ones he was wearing into pyjamas when they arrived from the Burrow. The Burrow. Where Charlie was. Quickly, Harry shook his head and pulled out a pair of jeans and a top, using a belt to fasten Dudley's cast-offs round his waist, before making his way downstairs.

In the kitchen, Remus and Sirius were sitting at a small table next to a big window. The garden looked pretty, Harry noted distractedly, as he took a seat. He pulled a slice of toast onto his plate, and then looked up at his godfathers.

"So, what's the reason for being up so early?" Harry asked. "Why is Siri so excited?"

"Well, pup," began Sirius. "You may remember that we didn't give you a birthday present yesterday. And that is because we were saving your present for a day when we could be with you. We weren't really expecting you to come home with us last night. But, because you did, it means we can give you your present today!" Sirius finished excitedly, almost bouncing in his seat.

"Right," said Harry, determinedly ignoring the reference to the Burrow and Charlie. "So what's the present then?" he asked, slightly confused.

"We're taking you shopping for a complete new wardrobe! Your days of wearing your cousin's hand-me-downs are long gone, cub!" Remus announced.

"Remy!" Sirius whined. "You promised I could tell him!"

"That was before you woke me up so early!" Remus declared with a grin.

Harry laughed at the pout on Sirius' face. "When are we leaving?" Harry asked excitedly.

"As soon as you're done with breakfast, we can go," said Remus.

Ten minutes later, the three of them were stepping into the fireplace and calling put 'Diagon Alley'.

The three men made their way to Gringotts first. Once the goblins had checked Sirius' key, they led them out to a cart that would take them down to the vault.

As they began to move, Harry leant forward to speak with the goblin.

"Is this the fastest it can go?" Harry asked.

"No. Would you like to go faster?" the goblin asked in return.

"As fast as you can please," Harry beamed.

The speed of the cart increased dramatically, and Harry sat, whooping like a mad man, hanging over the edge to watch where they were going. Remus closed his eyes tightly, and Sirius slouched down in his seat slightly, gripping the edge tightly.

By the time they had been down to the vault, and then back up again, Sirius and Remus look nauseous, but Harry was practically hyper on the adrenaline.

"Where are we going first?" he asked, a big smile on his face.

"Err…" Remus tried to get his thoughts back in order.

"For a drink," Sirius said firmly, leading the way to a small café. Once Sirius and Remus had settled their stomachs, they moved onto the clothing stores.

A few hours later, the three men flopped down in chairs at the Leaky Cauldron for some lunch. Tom the barman brought their food over, and they dug in hungrily.

"Is there anything else you'd like to get, pup?" Sirius asked, once they'd finished eating.

Harry thought about it. Remus and Sirius had meant it when they said they were replacing his wardrobe. They'd bought him everything, underwear, muggle clothes for summer and winter, wizard clothes for summer and winter, new formal robes, several pairs of shoes. He couldn't think of anything else he might need.

"No, I think we have everything," Harry replied.

"Let's get going then." They left the money for the meal on the table, and once they'd gathered all the bags together, made their way over to the fireplace.

They had to wait a couple of minutes to use the floo. Just as the men had reached the front of the queue, they heard a shout.

"Harry!" a voice called.

Harry's heart sank. He didn't want this right now. He quickly stepped into the floo and disappeared, without even turning round. Remus and Sirius shrugged apologetically at Charlie, and Bill who had appeared behind him, before following Harry through the floo.

Back at Grimmauld place, Harry had started to put the new things he had bought into his trunk. Remus and Sirius brought the extra bags into his room.

"What are you doing, cub?" Remus asked.

"Putting my clothes away," Harry replied, not turning round.

"Why don't you put them in the wardrobe?" asked Sirius.

"Because I'll just have to take them all out again when I go back to school," Harry answered, wondering what was up with his godfathers.

"What if you left them in the wardrobe and only took the ones you needed to school?" suggested Remus.

"What?" Harry turned to face them, confusion on his face.

"Harry, do you want to live here with us?" Sirius asked bluntly. "This can be your bedroom, you can keep your clothes in the wardrobe, and you have somewhere to come and stay during the holidays, and for as long as you need it once you've finished school."

Harry gaped at them, his brain processing what Sirius had just told him.

"Yes!" he shouted, jumping across the room to hug each of his godfathers. "Yes, yes, I would love that!"

"Excellent," Remus smiled. "Now how about we unpack your clothes into the wardrobe?"

Later on, after all the clothes and most of Harry's belongings had been unpacked, the men went downstairs. The room looked completely different – they had changed the colour of the walls and curtains to Harry's taste, and made it a bit more homey. Sirius had been delighted to discover that Harry was in possession of the Marauder's map, and was clearly hoping that now Harry didn't have to think about Voldemort and Death Eaters, he could engage in some of his own pranks at Hogwarts.

Harry looked at as Remus set a mug down in front of him, and nodded his thanks. Remus looked sideways at Sirius and signalled with his head towards Harry.

"Harry?" Sirius began. Harry jerked his head up. "Are you going to tell us now why you were so desperate to come home with us?"

"I... I just wanted… No," he said finally, shaking his head.

"Come on Harry, you know we don't mind if you did anything," Sirius pleaded with him. He wanted Harry to trust them enough to tell them the truth. But Harry still refused to say anything.

"It wouldn't have anything to do with a red head showing up at the Leaky Cauldron and you immediately disappearing through the floo?" Remus asked.

Harry's face went slightly red, but he didn't say anything still.

"Harry, did you know that Remus and I are both gay?" Sirius asked.

That got a reaction from Harry. His head shot up, his face in shock.

"What?" he choked out.

"Yes, we realised it round about when we were your age," Remus nodded. "Took us until seventh year to realise we liked each other as more than best mates, and we got together."

"We've been together since then, apart from when I was in Azkaban," Sirius finished.

"I… Wow, I didn't even see that coming," Harry said, shaking his head.

"So now that we've shared that with you, will you tell us what's bothering you?" Remus asked.

Harry looked down at the table. "It's Charlie," he said quietly.

"Thought as much," Sirius said, nodding. "So what happened?"

Harry was quiet for a few minutes. Remus and Sirius waited patiently, sipping at their drinks.

"I knew he wouldn't want to let everyone know, but… I didn't think he'd mind just our family knowing," Harry said, eyes glued to the table.

"So you're seeing him?"

"No. Well, sort of. I mean, it was only really since this summer. But I've been writing to him since the start of fourth year. He was helping me with the tournament. And I started to realise that I might be gay. I liked Cedric for a bit, but then he invited Cho to the Yule Ball. And then there was some stuff with Fleur, so I wasn't sure. But I was talking to Charlie once we were back at the Burrow, and I was sure, and it's been since then really," Harry finally finished his rambling, and looked up at his godfathers.

"Charlie, Harry?!" Sirius looked close to exploding. Harry nearly jumped out of his seat, and Remus looked shocked as well, at Sirius' outburst. "He's seven years older than you! He's overage, what was he even thinking? You won't be of age for another two years! You wait..." Sirius' explosion was cut off suddenly by a silencing spell from Remus.

"I… err… we haven't done anything except kiss," Harry blushed, looking down. "He said he won't until I'm of age."

That seemed to be all Remus needed to hear, because he relaxed at those words, but Sirius still looked upset.

"Don't shout at Harry," Remus ordered, looking at Sirius' silent form. Sirius crossed his arms defiantly, so Remus left the spell on, and turned to Harry. "So you came here to get away from him?"

"No! I really did want to spend time with you guys! Charlie was just…"

"Unfortunate timing?" Remus asked. Harry smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm not saying you need to do it now, Harry, but talk to him at some point, or send him an owl."

Harry's face fell a bit, but he nodded before moving to a cupboard to pull out a Wizard's Chess set. "Play with me?" he asked Remus, who joined him, leaving Sirius to cool down.

That night, Harry sat in his new room, trying to work out what to say to Charlie. Two hours of work later, and he finally had something suitable to send the older boy.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I'm sorry I disappeared so suddenly, but I needed to get away. I'm staying with Sirius and Remus now – actually, they've asked me if I want to live at Grimmauld place with them, so I probably won't be back to stay at the Burrow._

_Remus said I should talk to you or send you an owl, and this was easier. Sorry for being a coward and not talking to you face to face, but it was a scary thought? Bit pathetic coming from the 'saviour' of the wizarding world._

_I know you probably wouldn't want anyone to know about what we were doing, but I didn't think you'd mind our families knowing. Well, I can see why you wouldn't want to tell Sirius, he's not very happy with you at the moment. But I thought it would be easier for you if I wasn't hanging around anymore, so I went._

_I might be going to visit Ron soon, so I guess I might see you if you're home then._

_Harry_

He sent the letter off with Hedwig, and settled down to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, all belongs to JK Rowling.

The Weasleys were eating breakfast the next morning when Hedwig arrived. Ron went to take the letter from her, but she pecked at his hand, and flew over to sit in front of Charlie. Hedwig stuck her leg out, so that Charlie could take the letter, and then took off out the open window.

"Why's Harry writing to you?" Ron grumbled, rubbing his hand as he finished eating his breakfast.

Charlie just shrugged and took the letter upstairs to read privately. He sat on his bed and opened the parchment. He read it and re-read it several times, before falling back on his bed.

Bill came into the room and saw Charlie lying on his bed, the parchment in his hands. He pulled the letter out of his younger brother's hands and read it quickly.

"Charlie?" he called gently. "Are you okay?"

Charlie blinked and looked at him. "I was so stupid, Bill. How do I sort this?"

"You make sure that you're here when he visits and talk to him, and stay well away from Sirius," Bill told him. "But for now, you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and come play Quidditch; we need you to even up the teams."

Harry was due to visit the Burrow a week after he had left with Remus and Sirius. He was dressed in his new clothes; he felt much more confident in clothes that fit him well, and, since Bill had fixed his eyesight too, his self-esteem was much higher.

He was half hoping that Charlie wouldn't be there, when he went to visit Ron, but a small part of Harry wanted Charlie to see him in his new clothes, with his new confidence, so that Charlie could see he wasn't a little child.

Charlie had heard Ron and the twins talking at breakfast. Harry would be visiting that day. He would make sure he got a chance to apologise to Harry and make it up to him. Charlie collected him broom and went out to the garden to play Quidditch with his brothers while they waited for Harry.

Harry stumbled through the Floo after saying goodbye to Remus and Sirius, and nearly crashed into Mrs Weasley at the other end.

"Oh, hello, Harry," she beamed, dusting soot off of him. "Are these your new clothes, dear? They look lovely."

Harry had finally decided on his new jeans, a green top that highlighted his eyes, and his Converse, after an internal debate on what would look best when he woke up that morning.

"Thanks, Mrs Weasley," he smiled. "Are the others out the back?"

Mrs Weasley nodded, and turned back to whatever she had been cooking. Harry made his way into the back garden.

As he came into view of the makeshift Quidditch pitch, Fred and George caught sight of him first. They whistled loudly, making Harry blush.

"Looking good, Harry!" they shouted, identical grins on their faces.

The game paused so that they could come down and greet Harry.

"Nice clothes, Harry," said Ron. "Where'd you get them?"

"Sirius and Remus took me shopping," Harry replied.

"Is that when we saw you in Diagon Alley?" asked Bill.

"Uh, yeah," said Harry, glad that they hadn't mentioned him running away without acknowledging them. He began to feel a bit awkward from all the attention he was receiving. "Can I join the game?" he asked, and they were all soon back in the air.

Harry had walked out into the garden, holding himself in a way that Charlie hadn't seen in him before. Instead of trying to fold into himself and hide away, Harry was standing tall, and looked comfortable in himself. And he looked hot in those clothes.

When the others went down to greet Harry, Charlie hung back a bit. He watched his brothers ask about his clothes, and saw Harry become embarrassed by the attention. They were soon up in the air, but Charlie couldn't take his eyes off Harry, who was darting around, in competition with the twins and Ron.

Harry laughed and joked more confidently than he had before, and he was really happy. He noticed Charlie's eyes following him, but pretended not to notice. He'd address that issue later, this was fun.

They had eaten sandwiches outside for lunch, and stayed out there, as the weather was especially good that day. They had spent the afternoon playing games in the garden, relaxing in the sun and chatting between themselves. Charlie was frustrated; between the twins and Ron, Harry hadn't been left alone all day. He was beginning to think he'd never get a chance to speak with Harry.

Bill noticed that Charlie's upset, and got to his feet.

"Hey, guys, help me take this stuff inside," he said, chucking bits of the left over picnic into the twin's and Ron's laps. They got to their feet, grumbling about the exercise. Harry made to get to his feet to help.

"No, don't you worry, Harry, you can stay here. We'll only be a moment," Bill told him, and with that, he had the twins and Ron marching up the garden, leaving Harry and Charlie sat on the grass.

Harry swallowed nervously and didn't look up. He could feel Charlie's eyes on him.

Charlie watched Harry closely, wondering if the smaller boy would say anything. It appeared that he wasn't going to.

"Harry?" he asked softly. Harry looked up and met his eyes. Charlie temporarily forgot how to speak. He'd forgotten how beautiful those green eyes were. He managed to regain some composure. "I'm sorry."

It was Charlie's turn to feel nervous now. He didn't move under Harry's gaze, as Harry scanned his face for emotion.

Harry could see the honesty in Charlie's eyes, but decided to make him wait just a bit longer. It may be cruel, but the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin. When Harry decided Charlie had waited long enough, he nodded.

"I believe you," he said.

"Harry, it was such a stupid mistake. I don't know what I was doing, what I was thinking. Will you forgive me?"

Harry nodded again, not trusting his voice. His insides felt like they were going to burst with happiness.

Charlie grinned at him. "Can I kiss you?" he asked. Harry nodded a third time, a smile splitting his lips. Charlie quickly closed the gap between them and pulled Harry onto his lap. They sat for a few minutes, until they heard voices.

"Charlie, your brothers are coming back," Harry stated, starting to move from Charlie's lap.

Charlie held him tighter. "Sounds like Sirius, Remus and my parents are with them too," Charlie said, tilting his head towards the sound.

"Are you going to let me go then?" Harry asked.

"I already made that mistake once," said Charlie, kissing the dark haired boy in his lap once again.

The family reached the end of the garden to see the two boys embracing, lost in a kiss. Bill coughed, and the two broke apart.

Mr and Mrs Weasley, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny were staring, mouths hanging open. Remus had his eyebrows raised. Sirius looked like he wasn't sure whether to hit Charlie or hug him, Harry looked so happy.

"My brother, Harry?" Ron choked out. Harry nodded, his eyes showing the worry at Ron's reaction. Ron shook his head, and spoke with a friendly tone. "When did you realise you were gay, mate?"

Harry smiled in relief. "I just kissed him and I knew."


End file.
